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5 Advantages of E-ink Displays

November 16, 2018

At a time when the entire world appears to be obsessed with the newfangled display technologies that have been cropping up, it may come as a surprise to many that e-ink displays remain a force to be reckoned with. Electronic ink (e-ink) displays, which are sometimes referred to as electronic paper (e-paper) displays, have been around since the 1970s. Yet the technology remains a major force, particularly when it comes to e-readers such as the Kindle Paperwhite. So, what are the advantages of e-ink displays?

Electronic Paper Advantages

E-paper is designed to closely mimic real paper. That, in any case, is where the major advantage for e-paper lies. If you are looking for a display that’s a close match to the one that you get when reading your newspaper or a real paper book, then you wont go wrong with a device such as the Kindle Paperwhite.

E-ink displays do not suffer from glare, as is the case with a conventional tablet. They are, in this regard, very similar to actual paper. We have previously written an article in which we compare the reading experience on a tablet and on a Kindle Paperwhite. After using the Paperwhite for a few weeks, we have to say the device has been a revelation. You can use your e-ink device outside without having to worry about getting a headache from the glare.

Another advantage of e-ink displays is that they only use power when they are being refreshed. The nature of e-paper is such that once an image is “painted,” onto the screen, it remains there without using any power. Energy is only consumed during the process of moving to another page. That is the major reason why e-readers have exceptionally long battery lives. The Kindle Paperwhite, as an example, has a battery life of up to 6 weeks!

E-ink displays are reflective. What this means is that unlike LCDs, they do not need to be backlit in order for content to be visible. E-paper uses light from the environment to make whatever is on the screen visible. This has the advantage of saving power. Of course, devices such as the Kindle Paperwhite come with back-lighting, which allows you to read your favorite books in the dark. Nevertheless, their battery life is still exceptionally good.

E-paper is friendly to the environment, in that trees do not need to be cut in order for people to get to enjoy books. In fact, you can read thousands of books on a single device without touching a single piece of paper.

It’s clear, from the foregoing, that e-paper comes with a wide range of benefits. This technology, which has been around for so long, remains a major force, particularly for avid readers. Indeed, e-ink displays have, over the past few years, been making their way towards conventional phones. The Chinese made Yotaphone, as an example, comes with a dual display, one of which is made of e-paper.